Blog

We are saddened by the passing of two of Old Friends’ most senior residents, Zippy Chippy at OF at Cabin Creek in New York, and River Squall at the main Kentucky farm. Zippy Chippy was 31. River Squall died on his 28th birthday. Read more.

Winston, the miniature horse at Old Friends at Ashton Grove, is a busy guy. He spends many of his evenings visiting with the human residents of Ashton Grove Senior Living Community, but he also makes time for the exercise program his vet recommended for him. Here he is taking an evening drive with his owner, […]

He had a tough constitution to run 91 races and win 14 of them, including two stakes. But ferocious he was not. He was one of the sweetest horses ever to grace Old Friends.

The passing of Affirmed Success last week was a profound change, the going of one of the foundations of Old Friends. It wasn’t just that he’d been with us since 2007. Or that he was the last of Affirmed’s greatest sons. It was who he was.

He was a bright spot in the world. A star on the track. A beautiful horse, technically grey but nearly white, with harmoniously pleasing proportions and expressive dark eyes. An exceptionally kind horse who brought happiness wherever he went.

On the racetrack he was just a cheap claiming horse. Usually his tag was less than $5000, but gave the game his best and won 11 of his 58 races. His hooves pounded tracks from Chicago to Louisville to Arkansas to Iowa to West Virginia to Northern Kentucky to all over the Southwest. At Turf […]

Albert the Great, a son of 1994 Kentucky Derby winner Go for Gin  and Bright Feather by Fappiano, was bred in Kentucky by Albert Clay. Owned by Tracy Farmer, he was trained by Nick Zito who had trained his dad. The handsome compact colt liked to grab the lead and keep it all the way […]

In a modest way, from 2001 through 2005 Discreet Hero was one of racing’s stars. He won only one graded stakes, the 2001 Round Table (G3) at Arlington, but he ran creditable efforts against such as Orientate, Brass Hat and Mineshaft, and for five years he traveled from Kentucky to Louisiana to Chicago gathering an […]

Northern Stone was one of the calmest, kindest horses ever to live at Old Friends in Kentucky. From the day he joined us in April 2009 until his passing he was a steadying influence on his paddock mates and a sweet-natured host to the guests who had the good fortune to meet him and treat […]